Flesh

Flesh is an independent and groundbreaking film that brilliantly sketches the contours of American subculture in 1968. A seminal work by Paul Morrissey, the film is produced by Andy Warhol, the pioneering figure of the Pop Art movement. The film stars a young Joe Dallesandro, an actor who later went on to become a Warhol superstar, renowned as the key figure of the underground film world in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Other notable performances given by Geraldine Smith and Patti D’Arbanville elevate the narrative and help in creating a cohesive storytelling experience.

Flesh is set in New York, amid a tumultuous socio-cultural landscape in mid-twentieth-century America. The film’s protagonist, Joe, portrayed by Joe Dallesandro, is a good-natured but economically struggling young man who works as a hustler, navigating through the city selling his body to both men and women to gain financial stability. Despite his predicament, Joe remains an optimistic and resilient character, offering us an allegory of the American dream persisting against the odds.

While Joe's desperate actions might imply a life of hardship and suffering, this film has a distinct aura of lightness to it. Instead of dwelling on the dejection and misery that often accompanies stories of survival on city streets, Flesh leans into moments of candid humor and surprising camaraderie, endowing its characters with an admirable resilience.

Moreover, much of the film is dedicated to the genuine sense of humanity that resides within Joe. Despite his life as a hustler, his encounters with a variety of intriguing characters humanize him. Each client he deals with is uniquely eccentric, and their interactions with Joe are intimate windows into lives far removed from mainstream society. From a narcissistic artist to a compassionate trans woman, the cast of characters delivers an authentic depiction of New York's underbelly during that period, complete with its shared nuances and solitary miseries.

This unrated film is not interested in presenting explicit scenes for shock value. Instead, it continuously defies societal norms and restrictions, eagerly exploring themes of sexuality and companionship with an unprecedented frankness. From a cinematographic perspective, Flesh brilliantly uses Warhol's minimalist aesthetic to capture the raw realities of its setting. Long, almost intrusive takes invite viewers into the personal lives of characters, establishing a deeper connection with their experiences.

As opposed to a traditional, linear narrative, the film is more episodic in nature, charting various encounters that Joe has throughout the day. This strategy heightens the fly-on-the-wall feeling of the film, adding a layer of realism that keeps the audience entrenched in its offbeat world. From a narrative perspective, the film is an insightful exploration of underground lifestyles and marginalized stories, emphasizing the lives of its vibrant characters over the plot.

The performances in Flesh are notably engaging, particularly that of Joe Dallesandro. His authentic portrayal of Joe, combined with his natural ease in front of the camera ensures that the audience becomes deeply invested in his journey. Geraldine Smith as Patti and Patti D'Arbanville as Geri, deliver equally compelling performances, adding depth to this exploration of life on the fringes.

Flesh serves as a crucial timestamp of a particular era in American society where alternate lifestyles seeped onto the silver screen, challenging the status quo and breaking traditional taboos. It provides a raw and uncensored glimpse into a world not often seen in popular cinema, and it does so with a certain degree of paradoxical innocence that draws you in and keeps you absorbed until the very end. The film is powerful in its narrative, minimalistic in its style, and courageous in its exploration of intimate relationships and the human spirit's resilience in face of adversities.

In summary, Flesh is a monumental piece of independent cinema that dares to push boundaries. As a cultural artifact from the late '60s, it is a film that continues to remain relevant, continually inviting contemporary audiences to step out of their comfort zones and experience the nuances of life from a different perspective. The film's combination of an intimate narrative, gritty realism, and distinct aesthetics, keep you engaged at all levels, urging you to revisit it time and again.